Dangerous NHL Duos

Like Butch and Sundance... the Lone Ranger and Tonto...Lennon and Mcartney... sometimes you need that certain particular partner... side kick if you will ...that makes everything ... click.

Here's some of the two man combos making the most noise this season.

Becoming a dangerous duo requires two things: playing together a lot and knowing each other previously or bonding quickly.
...Many coaches assemble lines by finding a strong twosome and rotating in the third member. Keeping all three together helps even more.

Forsberg and anyone gets my vote as best scoring combo out there.

Today's Smorgosboard of Pucks:

NHL Surprises and disappointments

If your into DOMINANCE, the Sens are where it's at

Ted Mouths OFF

Honoring the man behind "THE MASK"

TONIGHT'S Hockey Picks

And finally as a public service we present:

The Official Canadian Temperature Conversion Chart

50° Fahrenheit (10° C)
New Yorkers try to turn on the heat.
Canadians plant gardens.

40° Fahrenheit (4.4° C)
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
Canadians Sunbathe.

35° Fahrenheit (1.6° C)
Italian Cars won't start
Canadians drive with the windows down

32° Fahrenheit (0 ° C)
Distilled water freezes
Canadian water get thicker.

0° Fahrenheit (-17.9° C)
New York City landlords finally turn on the heat.
Canadians have the last cookout of the season.

-40° Fahrenheit (-40° C)
Hollywood disintegrates.
Canadians rent some videos.

-60° Fahrenheit (-51° C)
Mt. St. Helens freezes.
Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door.

-100° Fahrenheit (-73° C)
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Canadians pull down their ear flaps.

-173° Fahrenheit (-114° C)
Ethyl alcohol Freezes.
Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.

-460° Fahrenheit (-273° C)
Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops.
Canadians start saying "cold, eh?"

-500° Fahrenheit (-295° C)
Hell freezes over.
THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS WIN THE STANLEY CUP

Cracks in the Crackdown?

After such a promising start are the refs now starting to swallow their whistles thus letting some of the clutching and grabbing calls go that they were making earlier in the season? Some think so.

"If you compare the first two weeks to now, it's a big difference," said Sundin, moments after scoring the winning goal in overtime against Montreal on Saturday night.

"I talked to one of the refs during the game. Now it's not back to where it was (two years ago) but I told him there's more clutch and grab out there. There's some hooking and holding going on.

"Guys are getting away with it. I have nothing against it. But the game is not exactly every call where it was earlier when, if you put a stick on a guy, you were sent off.

"It hasn't gone all the way back, but it's definitely different than it was at the beginning of the year."

And how did the referee respond to Sundin's theory?

"He said: 'You think so?' I said: 'A little bit. I don't mind it.'

"He said: 'Well, maybe ...' "

I'd agree that there appears to be some back sliding going on in terms of the strict enforcement we saw earlier in the season. Hopefully it's not a sign of a return to the old days. Stay tuned.

Other Puck Stuff:

Cell Phone Hockey

Canadian fans think NHL 'significantly improved'

Playoff - Playins coming next year?

Renaissance in the Art of Hockey

Ex-NHLer's playing Hockey in Japan

Police Blotter Hockey:

A puck love triangle gone bad.

Bad boy, bad boy, what you gonna do when they come for you?

Today's Hockey quote:

"There are still two or three guys who aren't willing to pay the price to win a game. This is not Wal-Mart. There are no discounts in this league."

- Former San Jose coach Ron Wilson

Global Warming Threatens Hockey

Turns out that not only are the Polar Ice Caps in danger of melting... so are the outdoor hockey rinks of the world.

...this quintessential slice of Canadian life in wintertime is slowly melting away due to global warming, says a collection of young environmentalists.

"A bunch of us are fairly avid hockey fans and hockey players and we noticed that we were waiting longer and longer every year to play, and then we started phoning rink operators and were told the same story," said Mike Hudema of Global Exchange.

"It's not only that the season is getting shorter but it's also the (fewer) number of the cold days in a row. Suddenly you get a real warm spell where your entire rink will melt, and so getting a nice clean surface is really hard."

Hudema, a 28-year-old from Edmonton, said the campaign, launched over the weekend, has been joined by about a dozen environmental groups, including the heavy-hitting World Wildlife Fund.

...They are also organizing a series of protest outdoor hockey games. One game scheduled for Whitehorse was cancelled last week because of warm weather.

They also plan to stage a mock funeral for shinny hockey outside the Montreal conference on climate change that opens today.

Well, if you were looking for another reason to get serious about this environmental threat we face this it... the melting of outdoor hockey.

More on this story:

Outdoor hockey threatened by global warming

Hockey fans launch effort to fight climate change

Today's Hockey Quote:

"The goalie is like the guy on the minefield. He discovers the mines and destroys them. If you make a mistake, somebody gets blown up"

- Arturs Irbe, Dallas goaltender

Greatest Shootout Ever

Trick Shot Heroics from a unlikely source

Granted, this is only the first quarter of the first season the shootout ever has been used by the league but this one between NY and Washington was one for the ages... a true NHL classic.

Malik, who has not scored in nearly 21 months, skated in on Kolzig and dropped the puck slightly behind him before snapping a between-the-legs wrist shot right under the crossbar for the game-winner.
"I was watching everything before me," said Malik, who has taken just 28 shots through New York's first 26 games. "Olie was unbelievable, he stopped everything from shots, moves ... guys tried everything on him. I just thought to myself, 'Maybe I'll surprise him.' I tried the move and it worked."

Boy, did it ever.

What made this incredible game all the sweeter was that it took place in the Media Capitol of New York City in front of a crazed packed house at the Garden. All the sports cable outfits are absolutely buzzing about it today and the league and it's new game are getting great publicity out of this unbelievable shootout ending. If you haven't seen the highlights from this contest yet try to catch them.

IN OTHER PUCK NEWS:

The Early Season NHL Award Winners

Should Rookie Honors Exclude Foreign Pros?

Bad Blood Rising in the NHL

The League's New Public Enemy #1

Don Cherry says... "Sue Dick Pound"

Today's Hockey Humor Moment:

Top Ten Reasons Hockey Is Better Than Sex

10. It's legal to play hockey professionally.
9. The puck is always hard.
8. The protective equipment is reusable and you don't even have to wash it.
7. It lasts a full hour.
6. You know you're finished when the horn goes off.
5. Your parents cheer when you score.
4. A two-on-one or three-on-one is not uncommon.
3. Periods last only 20 minutes.
2. You can count on it at least twice a week.
1. You can tell all of your friends about it afterward.

...and finally in other sports news:

Remember kids, always be careful what kind of bets you make.

Pre-Natal Hockey

This story has been out for awhile and you may have already seen it but even if you have it's important and bears repeating....

It's never too early to get kids involved in Hockey. So don't wait, act now and get them into...

PRE-NATAL HOCKEY CAMP

"We have couples who haven't even conceived yet who are putting down deposits to get on the waiting list. With all of the money in the pro game, can you blame them?"

At his Pre-Natal hockey school, O'Heffernan puts the unborn children through all of the paces.
"Just because they're not born yet, that doesn't mean we baby them. Hockey's a hard, gruelling game. The sooner they learn that, the better off they'll be in the long run."

Drills at the school include motivational yelling at the mothers' stomachs, in-class instructional sessions on modern defensive systems, as well as tutorials on effective forechecking techniques in the ultrasound room.

"The modern game is so complicated, it's imperative that we teach them as soon as possible. If you wait to educate them on the complexities of the left-wing lock after they've been born, they won't be able to grasp all of it, even when they're 18.

And what do the parents who've enrolled say about the program?

This is way more useful than those stupid lamaze classes
...Nigel and Yolanda Bicklethwaite of Etobicoke said that they enrolled at the O'Heffernan Pre-Natal hockey school out of a desire for their forthcoming baby boy to experience life to its fullest...

"And if that kid doesn't make it to the NHL, he's out of the f@#king will.

Yes, as you've probably figured out by now this story is just a joke. HOWEVER, the way things are headed in our society as far as fast-tracking kids goes nowdays maybe we'll actually see something like Pre-Natal Hockey soon.

It wouldn't surprise me... at all.


Hockey Quote for the Day:

"This is the only thing that has seen more parties than us."

Steven Tyler, Aerosmith's lead singer, after admiring the Stanley Cup.

The "Rocket's" Red Glare

A movie about the complex and controversial times of Maurice "Rocket" Richard and staring many current and former NHLer's opens in Canada this week.

The story takes Richard from his teenage years, when he worked as a machinist and played hockey on the side, to the fabled 1955 riot where angry fans tore apart downtown Montreal after the league suspended him for the rest of the season after his frenzied attack on a Boston player.
Along with his ice exploits (eight Stanley Cups) and loving marriage, the movie also recounts how Richard stepped up and fought to have French Canadians treated as equals.

In Canada, particularly Quebec Richard remains a hugely historic figure both because of his play on the ice and for his importance to the French-Canadians and their struggles off-ice.

Here's more on the making of... The Rocket.

Buzzing Around the Net:

Ex-Hockey Players with Laptops

OLN... STRUGGLES to find a Hockey Audience

Hold your Breath Hockey

Woman Playing Hockey with Men has the Write Stuff

The Crosby Show, it's been BETTER than expected

Police Blotter Hockey:

Hockey Mom convicted in a case of... RINK RAGE

Hockey Thought for the Day:

Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive.

~Stephen Leacock

Finally, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving... at least I hope it was better than the one Nick and Jess had.

Thanksgiving Hockey

Shawn P. Roarke writing for FOXSports.com thinks the NHL, it's fans and it's teams have much to be thankful for on this holiday. I agree.

Most important, we should all give thanks that we have the game we love, being played at its highest possible level, back for our enjoyment. It wasn't easy and it wasn't very pretty, but somehow the league bosses and the players found a compromise that allowed the NHL to pick itself up off the mat and return with a vengeance.

Check out what he thinks each team in the league should be grateful for this season.

Here's a sample:

Calgary Flames Character. This team has more stand-up guys than any other club in the league. Iginla, Donovan, Reinprecht, Yelle, Ference, McCarty, Regehr, Warrener are just a handful of the class acts coach Darryl Sutter can call upon to set an example or solve a problem. The quiet confidence this group has, as a whole, carried the team throughout last year's playoff run and is a testament to the franchise and the city in which they play.

I couldn't agree more with that assessment.

Have a great and safe Thanksgiving everyone... and thanks for visiting my site, I'm very grateful.

Cheating Death in the NHL

It's happened before

The Jiri Fischer incident the other night wasn't the first time a NHL player cheated death while on the ice playing. Suprisingly there's actually been quite a few near death experiences during NHL games over the years.

They've all cheated death on the NHL ice. They are all alive and well today thanks to the lightning-quick response of medical teams as well as some lady luck.
...this was not the first time the NHL has been gripped by a real-life medical drama and it probably won't be the last. NHL players are elite athletes, but they are also humans and things happen.

The only other encounters I'm aware of that players over the years have had with the Grim Reaper were with Stu Grimson the "official" Grim Reaper of the NHL and many of those I'm sure also ended up being near death experiences.

In Other Puck News:

Streaking Returns

NHL Fan-tasy Fan Figures

Luongo's Panther Blues

Crosby Wins Round 1 against A.O.

Salary Dumps Q & A

As long as the league is dumping salary I'd like to help them out by allowing them to dump some of it my way. Just trying to do my part.

Hockey Joke of the Day:
Why is the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto?
It's the only way Leafs fans can get to see the Stanley Cup!

Hey, it's just a joke Leaf fans... Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Goonies Nearing Extinction

Fighting despite reports to the contrary is not yet dead. However, a place in the game for players who can ONLY fight is ending fast as the NHL under the new rules force Puck Pugilists to become more than one dimensional players.

"The days of the guy who just comes off the bench to fight are long gone," Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis said.
The tough guy isn’t taking leave of the game. They’re merely going back to the future.

...Back in the day, hockey was equally as tough as it is in the modern era, but the guys who handled the fisticuffs could also handle the puck.

Those NHL enforcers unable to adapt to the new game yet are having to hit the road and take their fighting talents to the minors... like Peter Worrell.

From the Wide World of Pucks:

Winning Hearts and Minds for Hockey

Dissident NHL Players Revolt

BIGGER Players becoming Expendable

Everybody LOVES A.O.

Native Players face TOUGH road to NHL

My thoughts for the Day:
J.F.K. R.I.P.
and
Jiri get well soon

GM's in Jeopardy

In the old NHL when a team started struggling badly the coach would usually be the first to go... but times have changed. NOW under the new CBA GM's can't hide behind the old "the playing field is not level" excuse anymore and as a consequence they now may be the first to walk the plank when things go bad.

Just as there are many players and some coaches who have been slow to adjust to the new NHL, there are general managers who have been revealed as sluggish to adjust, as well, and it eventually will cost people their jobs, one former NHL executive said.

"You may not see it right away," added a top agent. "But it's definitely going to come. The playing field's been leveled, and owners are going to ask, 'Why aren't you succeeding?' That's what the attitude's going to be. Now you're going to have questions, 'What's so special about you?'"

These are wild, exciting and revolutionary times for everyone in hockey.... even GM's. Don't you just love it ?

I do.
Viva La Revolucion!

Today's Puck Buffet:

How to spot a Hockey Sally

The NHL @ the 1/4 of season point

St. Patricks new Hockey Mission

A League of Extraordinary Actors & Divers ?

NHL on the move >>> BUT to where ?

Hockey Quote for the day:
Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental.
- Jim McKenny